The present invention relates to guide tools to assist in mounting and dismounting the wheels of automobiles or other automotive vehicles on the mounting studs of the axle hubs.
It is well known that the wheels and tires of automobiles are relatively heavy and the task of mounting a wheel on the vehicle stud bolts can be difficult in that the stud bolts are obscured by the wheel and the wheel must be held off the ground and rotated on the hub until the stud bolts are centered with the stud holes in the wheel. Furthermore, the movement of the heavy wheel onto or off of the studs can cause scoring of the stud holes in the wheel and/or deformation of the stud threads, with the result that it is difficult or impossible to properly center the wheel on the studs, or it is difficult to thread the locking nuts onto the studs. This is particularly true with custom, specialty, wire and MAG-type wheels.
Centering or guide tools for vehicle wheels are known in the prior art. Specifically, applicant is aware of the following prior art references which are relevant to this application, and copies of which references are submitted with this application. The Baker U.S. Pat. No. 1,815,821 and the Cahill U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,391 disclose guide or pilot pins having externally threaded ends for threaded engagement in bolt holes on brake drums, as in some foreign cars and old cars of United States manufacture. They are not usable with presentday American car wheels having mounting studs or bolts on the axle hubs or brake drums.
The Freet U.S. Pat. No. 3,364,558 discloses a wheel-mounting tool having a shaft and sleeve receivable through a stud hole in the wheel with the shaft resting on the end of an associated stud. This device is inconvenient since it does not provide a firm mounting of the tool on the stud and the wheel must be lifted along with the tool to place the tool in position on the stud.
The Kayfetz U.S. Pat. No. 2,499,758 discloses a wheel mounting tool including an internally threaded sleeve receivable over the stud and an elongated hinged rod being receivable through a stud hole in the wheel and then threadedly engaged in the sleeve. But this is a complex multi-part device.
The Jamieson U.S. Pat. No. 2,708,712 discloses an illuminated wheel mounting guide which is threadedly received onto a wheel stud.
All of these prior art devices must be manually threaded into place on the stud, which may be quite difficult if the stud threads have already been damaged in previous wheel mounting operations, and all of these prior art devices are usable with only a single size of wheel stud.